Why we need to talk about the ‘C’ Word

Author: Jenna Bryant

Date: 19th August 2020

Cybersecurity plays such a big role in our day to day lives, yet we seem reluctant to talk about it, either in the bedroom, or in the boardroom.

Why don’t we discuss it with our friends, family and co-workers? From the minute we wake, we connect and tune into our digital lives and devices. We travel to work with technology in our hands and then work with a range of software, applications and devices throughout the day.

Let’s be honest, we all know that there are cyber related risks, shouldn’t we be talking more about the C word? But we’re not. Why is that?

Reputation

In business are we concerned that admitting we do not have a complete understanding of the topic may leave us looking foolish?

Surely it should be the opposite?

With technology changing at such a dramatic rate, no one can know everything, but our vulnerabilities go deeper than the technology we’re using. By openly discussing the risks, vulnerabilities and threats, we can all grow more confident in our knowledge, and processes, technology and people, and ultimately use them all against the common enemy; cybercriminals.

By talking about cybersecurity to your clients and prospects, it shows a sign of trust and respect that your business is continually learning about a dynamic topic to reduce the risks to their data you are holding.

For employees it should add a layer of confidence both in job security and in protecting your business. If you are continually talking to your employees and co-workers about cybersecurity you are raising awareness, reducing fear and learning new ways to spot threats, like phishing emails. By talking about the topic, you can also reduce the risk of embarrassment when someone needs to ask a question. In the event of uncertainty to an email or phone call, perhaps you need to have the confidence that you can ask for help and even ask ‘does this look right to you?’

Scaremongering

There are so many statistics out there around cybersecurity including:

– One small business in the UK is successfully hacked every 19 seconds

– 33% of UK businesses have said they have lost customers following a data breach

– The Coronavirus has been blamed for a 238% rise in attacks on banks

But these are just numbers, you don’t hear about the real-life impact on both business and personal lives. But with such high numbers, why do we still believe that it won’t happen to us? Do we feel we are special some how? That, maybe, just maybe the cybercriminals won’t come after us?

You are more likely to be hit by lightning than win the lottery, but we still play in the hope that it could be us. So, when it is stated that we should assume there is a 100% chance of us being hacked why are we not more concerned? And why do we seem happy to drop cybersecurity down the to do list?

Do we think that the statistics are there to scare us into spending money? Cybersecurity isn’t just about spending money to protect yourselves, it’s about doing the right thing. It’s about treating people’s Data with respect, and transparency. The more we talk, the more we are aware and therefore the more we reduce the possibility of an attack.

But do the figures surrounding Data breaches and attacks appear unrealistic or have they just become part of life, and we’re now numb to the threat?

When we see new figures released by the government or a data breach announced on the news, we should be talking about this. Not as a blame discussion but more of a learning curve. What could be done differently, how would you have acted if you were sent that email or had that phone call? If you had a booking at the Ritz and they phoned you up to confirm that booking but asked for your card details would you provide them?

These are all great questions and conversations we should be having.

Knowledge

Cybersecurity suffers from jargon, and a heap of ‘BS-Bingo’! Is this an issue and a reason behind the lack of communication? As we add more technology to our homes and work, we should be making time to see how we are using these devices and applications.

But with so much jargon out there are we concerned about being embarrassed, because we don’t know the correct language to use? As Cybersecurity professionals I know we have a long way to go to stop this, and believe me when I say that at Cyberfort we’re doing all we can to combat it!

One key thing we all need to remember is cybersecurity affects our day to day lives. By talking about the latest scams, and phishing emails, or about why completing our ‘elf names’ on social media is a bad thing, we can increase our knowledge and understanding of what can do us harm.

We don’t need the correct terminology that our industry uses we just need to be discussing the risks, how we use applications and sometimes even the history behind it.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity shouldn’t be an embarrassing or boring discussion. It should be used to protect us, to advance our knowledge, and to show we are a business or person that people can trust.

Cybersecurity is an interesting topic to discuss with so much history. An example of this is the recent announcement that Bletchley Park was involved in a data breach. To some they may just say that is unfortunate for a museum. But for others it was ironic and interesting due to the history behind the museum and the fact that it was the home of Crytography and code breakers in wartime Britain.

So, stop hiding and start talking.

Let’s hear you, and who knows together we could beat the cyber criminals!